Pre-History

The archaeology laboratory of the Maine State Museum occupies 2000 sq ft of climate-controlled space in the Maine State Museum Annex building. The lab serves as the museum's archaeological storage facility and as a workspace for the archaeological staff. The museum's archaeological collection includes prehistoric and historic materials from all over Maine, and is the largest such collection in the Northeast. Access to this collection is facilitated by rolling compactor units. The staff engages in a wide variety of multidisciplinary research relating to human interactions with the natural environment since the end of the Pleistocene Era, which leads to frequent visits by scientific colleagues and the public.